Paul Finebaum Reveals Nick Saban's Influence on Lane Kiffin amid LSU, Ole Miss Rumors

As the college football world awaits a decision from Lane Kiffin, the Ole Miss head coach is reportedly taking advice from an all-time great.

"Most people firmly believe that Nick Saban, who once fired Lane Kiffin, is suggesting or has suggested to go to LSU," ESPN's Paul Finebaum reported Sunday on The Matt Barrie Show (8:24 mark). "I'm told that Saban said, 'Had I stayed there, I would have won more national championships.'"

Saban advising Kiffin is quite the full-circle moment.

After all, the current Ole Miss coach was once Alabama's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach when Saban was leading the sport's dominant program. Yet Saban decided to fire Kiffin in January 2017 just one week before the Crimson Tide faced Clemson in the national championship game.

Alabama lost the game with now-Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian calling the plays.

While Saban is most closely associated with the Crimson Tide considering the six national titles he won, he was the head coach at LSU first from 2000 through 2024. The Tigers won the BCS national championship during the 2003 campaign under his direction.

Saban then left to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins but was there for just two seasons before he returned to the college game at Alabama.

As for Kiffin, all indications are he is deciding between remaining with the Rebels and taking over the LSU job that is available following the firing of Brian Kelly. That Ole Miss is essentially a lock for the CFP following an 11-1 regular season adds another variable to the decision-making process.

Ole Miss Wins Egg Bowl

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Still, LSU is one of the elite jobs in all of college football with a strong recruiting base in place and a tradition of success. It is surely an enticing opportunity for Kiffin and one that might not be available in the future should he choose to stay at Ole Miss.

ESPN's Mark Schlabach and Pete Thamel reported early Sunday morning it "would be a shock" if Kiffin didn't eventually join LSU on an offered deal that would pay him approximately $12 million per season.

According to Schlabach and Thamel, Ole Miss officials remained "adamant" Kiffin could not coach the team in the CFP if he decided to leave for another SEC school even though the head coach "lobbied" for that chance.

If he listens to Saban's reported advice, the Rebels will need to find another coach before the CFP.